Hoovervilles - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com Google The Great Depression Sets In The Great Depression was the most severe and enduring economic collapse of the 20th century, and included abrupt declines in the supply and demand of goods and services along with a meteoric rise in unemployment. 1933 is generally regarded as the worst year of the Depression: One-quarter of America’s workers–more than 15 million people–was out of work. Did You Know? As America's housing and economic crisis worsened through 2009, homelessness was on the rise. Encampments and shantytowns often referred to as tent cities--with similarities to Hoovervilles--began appearing in parts of California, Arizona, Tennessee, Florida, Washington and other states. Multiple factors led to the Great Depression, including the U.S. stock market crash in October 1929 and the widespread failure of the American banking system, both of which helped destroy society’s confidence in the nation’s economy. Additionally, although the 1920s, also known as the Roaring Twenties, had been a decade of prosperity, income levels varied widely and numerous Americans lived beyond their means.

Credit was extended to many so that they could enjoy the new inventions of the day, such as washing machines, refrigerators and automobiles. As the optimism of the 1920s gave way to fear and desperation, Americans looked to the federal government for relief. However, the country’s 31st president, Herbert Hoover , who took office in March 1929, believed that self-reliance and self-help, not government intervention, were the best means to meet citizens’ needs. In his estimation, prosperity would return if people would simply help one another. And although private philanthropy increased during the early 1930s, the amounts given were not enough to make a significant impact. Many Americans in need believed the resolution to their problems lay in government assistance, but Hoover resisted such a response throughout his presidency. The Rise of Hoovervilles As the Depression worsened and millions of urban and rural families lost their jobs and depleted their savings, they also lost their homes. Desperate for shelter, homeless citizens built shantytowns in and around cities across the nation. These camps came to be called Hoovervilles, after the president.

Democratic National Committee publicity director and longtime newspaper reporter Charles Michelson (1868-1948) is credited with coining the term, which first appeared in print in 1930. Hooverville shanties were constructed of cardboard, tar paper, glass, lumber, tin and whatever other materials people could salvage. Unemployed masons used cast-off stone and bricks and in some cases built structures that stood 20 feet high. Most shanties, however, were distinctly less glamorous: Cardboard-box homes did not last long, and most dwellings were in a constant state of being rebuilt. Some homes were not buildings at all, but deep holes dug in the ground with makeshift roofs laid over them to keep out inclement weather. Some of the homeless found shelter inside empty conduits and water mains. Life in a Hooverville No two Hoovervilles were quite alike, and the camps varied in population and size. Some were as small as a few hundred people while others, in bigger metropolitan areas such as Washington , D.C., and New York City, boasted thousands of inhabitants. St. Louis, Missouri , was home to one of the country’s largest and longest-standing Hoovervilles.

Whenever possible, Hoovervilles were built near rivers for the convenience of a water source. For example, in New York City, encampments sprang up along the Hudson and East rivers. Some Hoovervilles were dotted with vegetable gardens, and some individual shacks contained furniture a family had managed to carry away upon eviction from their former home. However, Hoovervilles were typically grim and unsanitary. They posed health risks to their inhabitants as well as to those living nearby, but there was little that local governments or health agencies could do. Hooverville residents had nowhere else to go, and public sympathy, for the most part, was with them. Even when Hoovervilles were raided by order of parks departments or other authorities, the men who carried out the raids often expressed regret and guilt for their actions. More often than not, Hoovervilles were tolerated. Most Hoovervilles operated in an informal, unorganized way, but the bigger ones would sometimes put forward spokespersons to serve as a liaison between the camp and the larger community. St. Louis’ Hooverville, built in 1930, had its own unofficial mayor, churches and social institutions. This Hooverville thrived because it was funded by private donations.

It maintained itself as a free-standing community until 1936, when it was razed. Although a common factor among Hooverville residents was unemployment, inhabitants took any work that became available, often laboring at such backbreaking, sporadic jobs as fruit picking or packing. Writer John Steinbeck (1902-68) featured a family who lived in a California Hooverville and sought farm work in his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Grapes of Wrath,” which was first published in 1939. Hoover Out, Roosevelt In In addition to the term “Hooverville,” President Hoover’s name was used derisively in other ways during the Great Depression.

For example, newspapers used to shield the homeless from the cold were called “Hoover blankets,” while empty pants pockets pulled inside out–demonstrating no coins in one’s pockets–were “Hoover flags.” When soles wore out of shoes, the cardboard used to replace them was dubbed “Hoover leather,” and cars pulled by horses because gas was an unaffordable luxury were called “Hoover wagons.” Tensions between destitute citizens and the Hoover administration climaxed in the spring of 1932 when thousands of World War I veterans and their families and friends set up a Hooverville on the banks of the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. In June, many of them marched to the Capitol to request early payment of the government bonuses they had been promised–money that would have alleviated the financial problems of many families. The government refused to pay, citing Depression-era budgetary restrictions. When most of the veterans refused to leave their shacks, Hoover sent in U.S. Army Chief of Staff Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964) to evict the so-called Bonus Army.

MacArthur’s troops set fire to the Hooverville and drove the group from the city with bayonets and tear gas. Hoover later claimed that MacArthur had used excessive force, but his words meant little to most of those affected. Hoover also received criticism for signing, in June 1930, the controversial Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act, which imposed a high tariff on foreign goods in an effort to prevent them from competing with U.S.-made products on the domestic market. However, some countries retaliated by raising their tariffs, and international trade was hampered. Between 1929 and 1932, the value of world trade declined by more than half. By 1932, Hoover was so unpopular that he had no realistic hope of being re-elected, and Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) of New York won that year’s presidential election in November by a landslide. Roosevelt’s recovery program known as the New Deal eventually reduced unemployment, regulated banking and helped turn the ailing economy around with public works projects and other economic programs. By the early 1940s, many Hoovervilles had been torn down.

Tags Hoovervilles Hoovervilles Hooï¿½verï¿½ville - n. A crudely built camp put up usually on the edge of a town to house the dispossessed and destitute during the depression of the 1930s. - Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. The stock market crash in October 1929, deepened a devastating depression that had affected the nation for nearly a decade. Many people used whatever means they had at their disposal for survival. Hoovervilles In the 1930s, Hoovervilles (shantytowns) formed coast to coast in cities of the United States. Some families were fortunate enough to stay with friends and family members that hadn't been evicted yet, but homeless men, women and children were forced to take up residence in shacks as a result of the Great Depression. Angry, cold and hungry Americans, who had no other place to reside, dubbed groups of those shacks in honor of President Herbert Hoover . Those desperate folks blamed Hoover for the downfall of economic stability and lack of government help . The small amount of resources that the federal government actually made available often did not go to the sick, hungry and homeless.

That was simply because many city officials were corrupt, and kept those valuable resources to themselves. Home sweet home One of the largest Hoovervilles lay in the center of New York's Central Park . The Midwest and West Coast regions of the U.S. also were devastated by the depression. "Squatters' shacks" and rickety structures popped up everywhere. The depression affected the poor so much that they felt nothing but hopelessness. Like human pack rats, ordinary people were forced to carry, wheel and drag bits of lumber, tin, cardboard, tar paper, glass, composition roofing, canvas, and other materials to the sites of America's new real estate boom. Some fortunate men were skilled in carpentry, and were capable of constructing fairly solid structures, while others less skilled scraped together packing boxes and other discarded items to provide shelter. Unemployed masons salvaged stone blocks and old bricks to create 20-foot tall shanties. However, more unfortunate men were reduced to sheltering themselves inside empty water mains. Hoovervilles and the economy As the economic crash of the 1930s dragged on, more and more people were ruined. Delinquent taxes, drastically rising unemployment and mortgage foreclosures were heavy burdens to overcome.

Those factors forced ordinary people to either move into Hoovervilles or become transients. Between 1929 and 1933, more than 100,000 businesses failed across the nation. When President Hoover left office in 1933, national unemployment hovered at a staggering 13 million ï¿½ nearly 25 percent of America's work force. Getting rid of Hoovervilles was a difficult task; people had no other place to call home. Several attempts were made to eliminate those small villages during the 1930s, but government and city officials couldn't really do anything about the health issues and scattered mess that Hoovervilles created. Although most American cities participated in several New Deal programs, much of the country's political leadership was not enthusiastic about most federal initiatives. Many city officials fought local efforts to establish a city housing authority in 1938, arguing that public housing would depress property values, and was susceptible to Communist influence. Some of the larger shantytown populations were organized; having their own mayor, sanitary committee and other committees. Finally, in 1941, a shack elimination program was put into effect, and shantytowns were torn down.

Employment levels had begun to rise, which gradually provided some shelter and security for formerly homeless Americans. Hoovervilles Across the United States During the Depression The causes of the Great Depression were many and varied, beginning with rapid economic growth and financial excess of the "Roaring Twenties.ï¿½ During this time, many Americans were quickly buying automobiles, appliances, and speculating in the stock market. Unfortunately, much of this wild spending was done on credit and while businesses were making huge gains, the average workersï¿½ wages were not increasing at anywhere near the same rate. But, like other "boomsï¿½ throughout history, the cycle soon led to a "bust.ï¿½ As manufacturing output continued and farmers were over producing, circumstances began to change, leading to falling prices and rising debt. At the same time, there was a major banking crisis, serious policy mistakes of the Federal Reserve Board, and with the stock market crash in October, 1929 the country was thrown into a full-blown Depression that would affect the nation for nearly a decade. Businesses began to lay off people, which was quickly followed by homelessness as the economy crumbled in the early 1930ï¿½s.

Homeowners lost their property when they could not pay mortgages or pay taxes. Renters fell behind and faced eviction. Many squeezed in with relatives, but hundreds of thousands were not so fortunate. Some defied eviction, staying where they were, others found refuge in one of the increasing number of vacant buildings, more found shelter under bridges, in culverts, empty water mains, or on vacant public lands, where they built crude shacks. When the Dust Bowl began in 1931 it made matters even worse. By 1932 millions of Americans were living outside the ï¿½normalï¿½ housing market. Between 1929 and 1933, more than 100,000 businesses failed across the nation and when President Hoover left office in 1933, the national unemployment rate was nearly 25%. As these many people used whatever means they had at their disposal for survival, they blamed Hoover for the downfall of economic stability and lack of government help. Making matters worse, the minimal federal help that was provided often didnï¿½t go to the sick, hungry and homeless, as many state and local politicians of the time, were corrupt.

These teeming communities of makeshift shacks known as ï¿½Hoovervilles,ï¿½ were often concentrated in cities close to soup kitchens run by charities. The shelters themselves varied widely, from stone houses and fairly solid structures built by those with construction skills, but, far more that were thrown together with wood crates, cardboard, tar paper, scraps of cloth and metal, and various other discarded materials. Within their shelters, most people had a small stove, a few cooking implements, some bedding, and little else. More derogatory terms blaming Hoover were also coined including a ï¿½Hoover blanket,ï¿½ which was old newspaper used for blanketing; ï¿½Hoover leatherï¿½ was cardboard used to line a shoe when the sole had worn through; a "Hoover wagon" was an automobile with horses tied to it because the owner could not afford fuel; freight cars used for shelter were called ï¿½Hoover Pullmans,ï¿½ and a ï¿½Hoover flagï¿½ was an empty pocket turned inside out. These settlements were often established on empty land and were rarely ï¿½recognizedï¿½ by authorities as they were tolerated or ignored out of necessity.

However, that was not always the case, especially if the occupants were trespassing on private lands and some cities would not allow them at all. Horse drawn automobiles were often referred to as "Hoover Wagons" during the Great Depression . n May, 1933, President Rooseveltï¿½s ï¿½New Dealï¿½ enacted a special relief program called the Federal Transient Service (FTS). Shelters were established by the program that provided food, clothing, medical care, and training and education programs. The relief also provided for rooms in boarding houses and rent payments. A few camps were established in rural areas but, in the cities, the Federal Government saw the problem as a local one. The program helped many, it was unable to thousands of others and just two years later, in 1935, it was phased out. The plan was then to get the homeless into work-related programs, such as the Works Progress Administration (WPA). However, only about 20% of those formerly housed by the FTS were able to get jobs in the work programs. Though some were eligible for the Resettlement Administration camps established for migratory workers, it was still not enough.

One such Hooverville ï¿½townï¿½ was located in New York Cityï¿½s Central Park. When the stock market crashed in 1929, it occurred just as a rectangular reservoir north of Belvedere Castle was being taken out of service. By 1930, a few homeless people set up an informal camp at the drained reservoir but were soon evicted. But, having nowhere to go, they would come back and as public sentiment became more sympathetic, they were allowed to stay. Called ï¿½Hoover Valley,ï¿½ the reservoir soon sported a number of shacks on what was labeled "Depression Street." One was even built of brick with a roof of inlaid tile constructed by unemployed bricklayers. Others built dwelling from stone blocks of the reservoir, including one shanty that was 20 feet tall. Though the settlement could not have been popular with the tenants of the new Fifth Avenue and Central Park West apartments, but they mounted no protest. There were other such settlements in New York ï¿½ one called ï¿½Hardlucksvilleï¿½ which boasted some 80 shacks between Ninth and 10th Streets on the East River.

Another called ï¿½Camp Thomas Paine,ï¿½ existed along the Hudson in Riverside Park. The Central Park disappeared sometime before April, 1933 when work on the reservoir landfill resumed. In Seattle, Washington stood one of the largest, longest-lasting, and best documented Hoovervilles in the country, standing for ten years, between 1931 to 1941. Though there were several located about the city, this Hooverville was located on the tidal flats adjacent to the Port of Seattle. The camp began when an unemployed lumberjack Spread over nine acres, it housed a population of up to 1,200. The camp began when an unemployed lumberjack named Jesse Jackson and 20 other men started building shacks on the land. Within just a few days 50 shanties were made available to the homeless. However, the Health Department soon posted notices on every shack to vacate them within a week. When the residents refused, the shacks were burned down. But, they were immediately rebuilt, burned again, and rebuilt again, this time underground, with roof made of tin or steel.

With Jesse Jackson acting as a liaison between Hooverville residents and City Hall, the Health Department finally relented and allowed them to stay on the condition that they adhere to safety and sanitary rules. Jackson became the de facto mayor of the shantytown, which also included its own form of community government. The ï¿½townï¿½ existed until the land was needed for shipping facilities prior to World War II. Chicago , Illinois Hooverville sprung up at the foot of Randolph Street near Grant Park, which also claimed its own form of government, with a man named Mike Donovan, a disabled former railroad brakeman and miner, as its ï¿½Mayor.ï¿½ In an interview with a reporter, Donovan would say ï¿½Building construction may be at a standstill elsewhere, but down here everything is booming. Ours is a sort of communistic government. We pool our interests and when the commissary shows signs of depletion, we appoint a committee to see what leavings the hotels have.ï¿½ Another large Hooverville was situated along the banks of the Mississippi River in St. Louis , Missouri .

Supporting some 500 people, it consisted of four distinct racial sectors, though the people integrated to ï¿½supportï¿½ their city. They too had an unofficial mayor by the name of Gus Smith, who was also a pastor. The community, which depended primarily on private donations and scavenging, created its own churches and other social institutions. It remained a viable community until 1936, when the federal Works Progress Administration allocated slum clearance funds for the area. These are but a few examples, as Hoovervilles existed all over the United States -- at the edges of Portland, Oregon , Washington D.C., Los Angeles , California , and everywhere in between. In the latter half of the 1930ï¿½s, the number of homeless increased as factories closed and farmers were displaced. The problem was made worse as more and more states increased residency requirements for the homeless to apply for relief, requiring them to have lived there a certain amount of time, and other conditions. For the many transients, this made them ineligible. The private shelters were overwhelmed, as well as city officials trying to ï¿½policeï¿½ the many vagrants, which led to increased hostility towards the homeless.

Some communities, especially in the South and West, used extralegal means, such as border patrols, indigent laws, forced removals, and unwarranted arrests, to keep the homeless out. California was the "hardest hit" by transients during the Depression years. Having only 4.7% of the population when it began, they would wind up with 14% of the nation's transients. Overwhelmed officials tried to figure out how to absorb as many as 6,000 migrants crossing its borders daily. Also feeling the effects of the Depression, California infrastructures were already overburdened, and the steady stream of newly arriving migrants was more than the system could bear. Los Angeles' answer was the ï¿½ Bum Blockade .ï¿½ In February, 1936, Los Angeles Police Chief James E.

ï¿½Two-Gunï¿½ Davis, with the support of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, many public officials, the railroads, and hard-pressed state relief agencies, dispatched 136 police officers to 16 major points of entry on the Arizona , Nevada and Oregon borders, with orders to turn back migrants with "no visible means of support." This continued for several months until it was finally withdrawn when the use of city funds for this project was questioned and a number of lawsuits were threatened. When John Steinbeck's book, the Grapes of Wrath was published in 1939, it raised public sympathy for the homeless. However, his book focused on the drought refugees moving westward, rather than the majority of the homeless population, which lived in cities. In the end, though, it would encourage assistance. Just a month after the movie version was released in 1940, a Congressional House committee began hearings on interstate migration of the destitute. But, it would be World War II that would end the "problem." As the nation turned its focus to defense, many of the homeless joined the military or found employment in war industries. Shelters closed and relief programs were reduced.

In the meantime, the American Civil Liberties Union, which had been fighting states' rights to restrict interstate migration, took their case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which issued a ruling in 1941, agreeing that states could not restrict access by poor people or any other Americans. But, it would be almost three more decades, in 1969, before the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional the residency requirements for benefit eligibility. Getting rid of these many Hoovervilles was a difficult task as their residents had no other place to call home. Though numerous attempts were made to eliminate these villages during the 1930ï¿½s, they were unsuccessful. The New Deal programs helped to eliminate many of the shantytowns, but, some cities were not enthusiastic about federal initiatives, arguing that public housing would depress property values and make their cities susceptible to Communist influence. Finally, in 1941, a shack elimination program was put into effect, and the many Hoovervilles across the country were systematically eliminated. By this time, employment levels had begun to rise, which gradually provided some shelter and security for formerly homeless Americans.

Homelessness would not recapture the national attention until the late 1970s, when it was thrust to the forefront as a result of deindustrialization and urban renewal. Today, the term ï¿½Hoovervilleï¿½ is still used to portray modern tent cities. However, the terms ï¿½Bushvilleï¿½ and ï¿½Obamavilleï¿½ became more common when describing the encampments of the homeless and unemployed that appeared in the wake of mortgage foreclosures and the financial crisis of 2007ï¿½2010. Ironically, the current era of financial strife, preceded by decades of excess, includes many of those very same factors as the Great Depression , such as a major banking crisis, policy mistakes of the Federal Reserve Board, and excessive debt. ï¿½ Kathy Weiser / Legends of America , updated August, 2016. A Hooverville in Sacramento , California .

Hooverville: Shantytown of Seattle's Great Depression - HistoryLink.org HistoryLink.org Hooverville: Shantytown of Seattle's Great Depression By Greg Lange Tweet During the fall and winter of 1931 and 1932, unemployed workers established Seattle’s "Hooverville," a shantytown named in sarcastic honor of U.S. President Herbert Hoover (1874-1964), on whose beat the Great Depression began. In October 1931, an unemployed lumberjack by the name of Jesse Jackson and 20 others started building shacks on vacant land owned by the Port of Seattle located a few blocks south of Pioneer Square. Within a few days, they built 50 shanties. After the squatters were brought to the attention of the City of Seattle, the Seattle Health Department posted notices on every shack to vacate within one week. Seven days later the Seattle Police arrived with cans of kerosene and burned down the shacks. The squatters immediately rebuilt. About a month later the city burned down the shacks once again. This time the residents burrowed into the ground and constructed roofs made of tin or steel.

The city relented and allowed them to stay on the condition that they adhere to safety and sanitary rules. The Mayor of Hooverville The man named Jesse Jackson became the liaison between Hooverville residents and City Hall and local businesses. He was the most public Hooverville resident and people began to call him the Mayor of Hooverville. He stated: "I am just a simple person, living among simple people, whose status in life is the same as theirs, trying to do the best I know how to administer in my poor way to their wants. The men often seek my advice and bring their troubles to me. I advise them the best I can on many questions. I am often able to prevent many little rows that might develop into big ones" (Schmid, p. 291). Home of the Homeless The residents named the shantytown Hooverville in sarcastic honor of President Herbert Hoover (1874-1964), on whose beat the Great Depression began. It was the former location of Skinner and Eddy Shipyard Plant 2 that closed in 1920. A census taken during March 1934 counted 632 men and seven women living in 479 shanties.

Their ages ranged from 15 to 73. Included were 292 Caucasians foreign born, 186 Caucasians born in the United States, 120 Filipinos, 29 Negroes (African Americans), three Costa Ricans, two Mexicans, two Indians, two Eskimos, and one Chilean. Hooverville remained in existence till the end of the Great Depression. Homeless man lying in a shack in shantytown Hooverville, October 27, 1931 Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. Lee 10548) Homeless man sitting in front of Hooverville shack, October 27, 1931 Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. Lee 10544B) Sources: Jesse Jackson, “The Story of Seattle’s Hooverville,” in Calvin F. Schmid, Social Trends in Seattle (Seattle: The University of Washington Press, 1944), 286-287. The People of the 1930's - The Great Depression The Great Depression Hoovervilles (Shantytowns) What is a Hooverville (Shantytown)?

As unemployment became an issue in the 1930's thousands of people lost their jobs and were forced to move into shantytowns. Hooverville became a common name for shantytowns also known as a shacktown. The homeless resided here during The Great Depression of the 1930's. Hoovervilles also known as Shantytowns, was the common place for Americans to live during The Great Depression. Hoovervilles stretched across the United States from New York to Los Angeles. When Americans lost their jobs soon after followed homelessness. Homeowners lost their houses when they could no longer pay their taxes and their mortgages. “ By 1932 millions of Americans were living outside the normal rent-paying housing market” (Gregory, James). Many people were evicted from their homes and were forced to find shelter under bridges, on public land like parks, and next to other buildings in the city. The shantytowns were everywhere in the United States, but mostly in vacant lots in the suburbs. People would build shacks to live in.

These shantytowns were given the name Hoovervilles in honor of president Herbert Hoover, which the men, women, and children living in these “towns” blamed for the downfall of the economy. The money the government had available did not go to the homeless, the sick, or the hungry, but kept for the people in charge of it. These Americans were forced to act like rats. They took anything to build their new homes, the shacks and eat any food they could get. Using items such as lumber, tin, cardboard, tar paper, glass, canvas, and a lot of other different objects to compose their new real estate. Some people were fortunate to be carpenters and were able to construct a stable homes, but most were not. Hoovervilles had a large population. “ 13 million-- nearly 25 percent of American’s work force”(Hoovervilles). These new towns had a diverse population. Even though most were white and foreign born. “An ethnic rainbow” (Gregory, James). These people had to live in the unsanitary conditions. Most were very dirty and there were many germs and diseases going around.

Houses offered little to almost no protection to the elements such as storms, cold, and rain. The people living here were also the poorest of the poor and had to survive with very little. They had get their meals in soup kitchens. "In A Shanty In Old Shanty Town" By Ted Lewis 1932 Soup Kitchens and Bread Lines Bread Lines In the 1930s, many people lost their jobs, a lot lost their homes and struggled to survive. There was no unemployment insurance. The people struggled to survive “ by the beginning of 1932 95 New Yorkers had starved to death”(Bread Lines). Many people got food to survive by going through the trash, but many people survived by standing in bread lines, to get food for themselves and their family. Bread lines were as long as city blocks. Even though people that stood in bread lines were humiliated to be there, they survived, and were better off than the people at the end of the lines. The people at the end of the lines rarely ever received food, experiencing, hunger, and fear of starvation.

Soup Kitchens Soup kitchens opened up in America in the beginning of 1929 , when the Great Depression was just beginning. At first the soup kitchens were organized by churches or private charities. Almost every city and town had a soup kitchen. People might have had to travel into a town or city to get food. These soup kitchens were run outside, in cafeterias, churches, and service centers. Most of these soup kitchens only served bread and soup once a day, because soup was economical. When more soup had to be made to feed everyone, all you had to do was add water. Therefore, insuring everyone had something to eat. The First Soup Kitchen Surprisingly, at the beginning of The Great Depression the first soup kitchen was opened by Al Capone. the dishonorable gangster. He wanted to clean up his shady image. His soup kitchen served three meals a day, when most only served one, to assure everyone that was without a job could get a meal (Depression-era Soup Kitchens). Hobos A “hobo” is a term used to define a person who rides trains in search of a job or a better life. Also known as “gentlemen of the road”.

It was said that at one point in America, there was over a million and a half hobos riding the trains. Most of which were misplaced white collar workers. Hobos were not seen as jobless men but instead as a symbol of freedom. Hobo jungles were around railroad tracks. These were shanty towns where hobos set up campfires to cook in tents. “Hobos were accepted in towns as long as they stayed on the outskirts of towns and cities”(Hobos). The Terminology: Hobos created their own set of terms they all understood. Hotshot- a train with high priority over other traffic Bull- railroad security man Power- the engines that power the train Reefer- refrigerated boxcar Bindle Stiff- a hobo who carries a bundle with personal possessions Yeggs- burglars or criminals Great Depression Updated February 26, 2016. What Was the Great Depression? The Great Depression, which lasted from 1929 to 1941, was a severe economic downturn caused by an overly-confident, over-extended stock market and a drought that struck the South. In an attempt to end the Great Depression, the U.S.

government took unprecedented direct action to help stimulate the economy. Despite this help, it was the increased production needed for World War II that finally ended the Great Depression. The Stock Market Crash After nearly a decade of optimism and prosperity, the United States was thrown into despair on Black Tuesday , October 29, 1929, the day the stock market crashed and the official beginning of the Great Depression. As stock prices plummeted with no hope of recovery, panic struck. Masses and masses of people tried to sell their stock, but no one was buying. The stock market, which had appeared to be the surest way to become rich, quickly became the path to bankruptcy. And yet, the Stock Market Crash was just the beginning. continue reading below our video 10 Best Universities in the United States Since many banks had also invested large portions of their clients' savings in the stock market, these banks were forced to close when the stock market crashed. Seeing a few banks close caused another panic across the country. Afraid they would lose their own savings, people rushed to banks that were still open to withdraw their money. This massive withdrawal of cash caused additional banks to close.

Since there was no way for a bank's clients to recover any of their savings once the bank had closed, those who didn't reach the bank in time also became bankrupt. Unemployment Businesses and industry were also affected. Despite President Herbert Hoover asking businesses to maintain their wage rates, many businesses, having lost much of their own capital in either the Stock Market Crash or the bank closures, started cutting back their workers' hours or wages. In turn, consumers began to curb their spending, refraining from purchasing such things as luxury goods. This lack of consumer spending caused additional businesses to cut back wages or, more drastically, to lay off some of their workers. Some businesses couldn't stay open even with these cuts and soon closed their doors, leaving all their workers unemployed. Unemployment was a huge problem during the Great Depression. From 1929 to 1933, the unemployment rate in the United States rose from 3.2% to the incredibly high 24.9% -- meaning that one out of every four people were out of work. The Dust Bowl In previous depressions, farmers were usually safe from the severe effects of a depression because they could at least feed themselves.

Unfortunately, during the Great Depression, the Great Plains were hit hard with both a drought and horrendous dust storms, creating what became known as the Dust Bowl . Years and years of overgrazing combined with the effects of a drought caused the grass to disappear. With just topsoil exposed, high winds picked up the loose dirt and whirled it for miles. The dust storms destroyed everything in their paths, leaving farmers without their crops. Small farmers were hit especially hard. Even before the dust storms hit, the invention of the tractor drastically cut the need for manpower on farms. These small farmers were usually already in debt, borrowing money for seed and paying it back when their crops came in. When the dust storms damaged the crops, not only could the small farmer not feed himself and his family, he could not pay back his debt. Banks would then foreclose on the small farms and the farmer's family would be both homeless and unemployed. Riding the Rails During the Great Depression, millions of people were out of work across the United States. Unable to find another job locally, many unemployed people hit the road, traveling from place to place, hoping to find some work.

A few of these people had cars, but most hitchhiked or "rode the rails." A large portion of the people who rode the rails were teenagers, but there were also older men, women, and entire families who traveled in this manner. They would board freight trains and crisscross the country, hoping to find a job in one of the towns along the way. When there was a job opening, there were often literally a thousand people applying for the same job. Those who weren't lucky enough to get the job would perhaps stay in a shantytown (known as "Hoovervilles") outside of town. Housing in the shantytown was built out of any material that could be found freely, like driftwood, cardboard, or even newspapers. The farmers who had lost their homes and land usually headed west to California, where they heard rumors of agricultural jobs. Unfortunately, although there was some seasonal work, the conditions for these families were transient and hostile.

Since many of these farmers came from Oklahoma and Arkansas, they were called the derogatory names of "Okies" and "Arkies." (The stories of these migrants to California were immortalized in the fictional book, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck .) Roosevelt and the New Deal The U.S. economy broke down and entered the Great Depression during the presidency of Herbert Hoover. Although President Hoover repeatedly spoke of optimism, the people blamed him for the Great Depression. Just as the shantytowns were named Hoovervilles after him, newspapers became known as "Hoover blankets," pockets of pants turned inside out (to show they were empty) were called "Hoover flags," and broken-down cars pulled by horses were known as "Hoover wagons." During the 1932 presidential election, Hoover did not stand a chance at reelection and Franklin D. Roosevelt won in a landslide. People of the United States had high hopes that President Roosevelt would be able to solve all their woes. As soon as Roosevelt took office, he closed all the banks and only let them reopen once they were stabilized. Next, Roosevelt began to establish programs that became known as the New Deal .

These New Deal programs were most commonly known by their initials, which reminded some people of alphabet soup. Some of these programs were aimed at helping farmers, like the AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Administration). While other programs, such as the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) and the WPA (Works Progress Administration), attempted to help curb unemployment by hiring people for various projects. The End of the Great Depression To many at the time, President Roosevelt was a hero. They believed that he cared deeply for the common man and that he was doing his best to end the Great Depression. Looking back, however, it is uncertain as to how much Roosevelt's New Deal programs helped to end the Great Depression. By all accounts, the New Deal programs eased the hardships of the Great Depression; however, the U.S. economy was still extremely bad by the end of the 1930s. The major turn-around for the U.S. economy occurred after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the entrance of the United States into World War II . Once the U.S. was involved in the war, both people and industry became essential to the war effort. Weapons, artillery, ships, and airplanes were needed quickly.

Men were trained to become soldiers and the women were kept on the homefront to keep the factories going. Food needed to be grown for both the homefront and to send overseas. It was ultimately the entrance of the U.S. into World War II that ended the Great Depression in the United States. Hoovervilles and Homelessness Join Pacific Northwest Labor and Civil Rights Projects on Facebook Hoovervilles and Homelessness "Hooverville" became a common term for shacktowns and homeless encampments during the Great Depression. There were dozens in the state of Washington, hundreds throughout the country, each testifying to the housing crisis that accompanied the employment crisis of the early 1930s. "Hooverville" was a deliberately politicized label, emphasizing that President Herbert Hoover and the Republican Party were to be held responsible for the economic crisis and its miseries. Seattle's main Hooverville was one of the largest, longest-lasting, and best documented in the nation. It stood for ten years, 1931 to 1941. Click h ere to see more photographs of Hoovervilles and homeless encampments in Seattle and Tacoma.

Covering nine acres of public land, it housed a population of up to 1,200, claimed its own community government including an unofficial mayor, and enjoyed the protection of leftwing groups and sympathetic public officials until the land was needed for shipping facilities on the eve of World War II. Seattle is fortunate to have the kind of detailed documentation of its Hooverville that other cities lack, and we have compiled these unique resources here. Included are photographs, city documents, a 1934 sociological survey of residents, a short memoir written by the former "mayor" of Hooverville, and more. We are grateful to the Seattle Municipal Archives, King County Archives, and the University of Washington Library Special Collections for permission to incorporate materials in their collections. Homelessness • Seattle Municipal Archives Hooverville Documents Homelessness followed quickly from joblessness once the economy began to crumble in the early 1930s. Homeowners lost their property when they could not pay mortgages or pay taxes. Renters fell behind and faced eviction. By 1932 millions of Americans were living outside the normal rent-paying housing market. Many squeezed in with relatives. Unit densities soared in the early 1930s.

Some squatted, either defying eviction and staying where they were, or finding shelter in one of the increasing number of vacant buildings. And hundreds of thousands--no one knows how many--took to the streets, finding what shelter they could, under bridges, in culverts, or on vacant public land where they built crude shacks. Some cities allowed squatter encampments for a time, others did not. Seattle's Housing Politics Click to see google map of shack towns in Seattle area and more photos and descriptions.In Seattle shacks appeared in many locations in 1930 and 1931, but authorities usually destroyed them after neighbors complained. What became the city's main Hooverville started as a group of little huts on land next to Elliott Bay south of "skid road," as the Pioneer Square area was then called. This was Port of Seattle property that had been occupied by Skinner and Eddy shipyard during World War I. Today the nine acre site is used to unload container ships. It is just west of Qwest Field and the Alaska Viaduct. Seattle police twice burned the early Hooverville, but each time residents rebuilt.

When a new mayor took office in 1932, owing his election in part to support of the Unemployed Citizen's League, Seattle's Hooverville gained a measure of official tolerance that allowed it to survive and grow. Hooverville's Population Donald Roy created this map of Seattle's Hooverville. Click the image to see a larger version of the map and here to read excerpts from Roy's sociological survey .By 1934 nearly 500 self-built one-room domiciles were "scattered over the terrain in insane disorder," according to Donald Roy, a sociology graduate student who studied the community. He counted 639 residents in March of that year, all but seven of them men. Most were unemployed laborers and timber workers, few of whom had held any jobs in the previous two years. It was a highly diverse population. Most were white with the majority of them foreign-born, especially Scandinavians. Nonwhites comprised 29% of the colony's population, including 120 Filipinos, 29 African Americas, 25 Mexicans, 4 Native Americans, 4 South Americans, and 2 Japanese.

Roy found the relaxed social atmosphere remarkable, describing "an ethnic rainbow" where men of many colors intermingled "in shabby comraderie."[1] The city imposed modest building and sanitation rules, required that women and children not live in the Hooverville, and expected the residents to keep order. This was handled by an elected Vigilance Committee-- consisting of two whites, two blacks, and two Filipinos-- led by a white Texas native and former lumberjack named Jesse Jackson, who came to be known as the unofficial "Mayor" of Hooverville. In 1938, Jackson wrote a short, vivid description of the community that we reproduce here. He explained that the population was fluid, as men sold their shacks to newcomers and moved on, and at its maximum during the winter months when it reached as hight as 1,200. He was proud of the self-built community, saying "Hooverville is the abode of the forgotten man." [2] Tacoma's "Hollywood-on-the-Tideflats" was burned by city officials in May 1942, but was soon reoccupied and rebuilt. Courtesy Tacoma Public Library .

Click image to see more pictures from the Tacoma Public Library Digital Archives.Other Hoovervilles also developed: one on the side of Beacon Hill where today I-5 passes; one in the Interbay area next to where the city used to dump its garbage; and two others along 6th Avenue in South Seattle. In late 1935, the city Health Department estimated that 4,000 to 5,000 people were living in the various shacktowns.[3] The city tolerated Hoovervilles until the eve of World War II. Early in 1941, the Seattle Health Department established a Shack Elimination Committee to identify unauthorized housing clusters and plan their removal. A survey located 1687 shacks in five substantial colonies and many smaller ones. In April, residents of the main Hooverville were given notice to leave by May 1. Police officers doused the little structures with kerosene and lit them as spectators watched. Seattle's Hooverville had lasted a full decade.[4] Tacoma's Hooverville Shanty towns also appeared in or near other cities.

Tacoma hosted a large encampment near the city garbage dump that residents called "Hollywood-on-the-Tideflats." By the end of the decade it covered a six block area and, like Seattle's Hooverville, included a large number of little houses that residents had built out of scrap materials and steadily improved over the years. City officials alternately tolerated and tried to eradicate the shack town. In May 1942, shortly after Seattle destroyed its Hooverville, the Tacoma Fire Department burned fifty of the "Hollywood" shacks. But residents rebuilt and the site remained occupied all the way through World War II. Copyright (c) 2009, James Gregory The Great Depression Jeopardy Template 100 What is margin When you buy stock with money a broker loaned to you, you are buying stock on this? 100 What is the Mid-West or the Great Plains The Dust Bowl affected this area of the country the most? Not state, but area. 100 Go to the movies and listen to the radio What were the two most common things people did to enjoy life during the Great Depression?

100 Hoovervilles What was the name given to the shantytowns built by the unemployed that reflected how they felt about their president during the Great Depression? 100 Did wages rise as fast as corporate earnings in the 1920's? 200 What state was affected the most by the Dust Bowl? 200 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs What was the first full-length animated feature movie ever made? 200 Hobos What was the name given to the wandering, unemployed people who "rode the rails" during the Great Depression? 200 installment plans Because people could not afford the goods they produced, many had to buy goods on these, which allowed them to pay a little over time. 300 Did the stock market cause the Depression? 300 It dried up due to a drought What happened to the soil during the Great Depression? 300 Gone with the Wind What movie allowed Hattie McDaniel to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1939 for her role as "Mammy?" 300 American Gothic What was the name of Grant Wood's famous painting depicting the serious nature of people in the Midwest?

300 Increases in productivity in industry and farming led to this cause of the Great Depression? 400 What happened someone's money when a banked collapsed during thr Great Depression? 400 The Grapes of Wrath What famous book told the story of a family from Oklahoma who were devastated by the Dust Bowl and moved to California in search of employment and a better life? 400 Shirley Temple What actress single-handedly saved 20th Century Fox by appearing in at least four popular movies a year in the 1930's? She could dance, sing, and act. 400 Bread lines or soup kitchens During the Depression, private charities set up these to feed the hungry and unemployed. 400 The Hawley-Smoot Tariff What is the name of the tariff that raised tariff rates to the highest in US history? 500 What is a bull market When stock prices rise and remain high for a long period of time is known as what? 500 What job did most of the "Okies" hope to find in California? 500 What kind of people did most movies in the 1930's portray? 500 John Steinbeck Who was the most famous author of the Great Depression?

He wrote a famous book about a family from Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl? 500 Invest it in the stock market What did banks do with depositors' money to try and make more money than they could through conventional loans? Quia - 11.5 The Great Depression Java Games: Flashcards, matching, concentration, and word search.

11.5 The Great Depression The Americans- Reconstruction through 20th Century Chapter 14-15 CA History Social Science Standard 11.5 A this Republican won the presidential election of 1928 Black Tuesday this term refers to the stock market crash of October 29, 1929 Dow Jones Industrial Average name of the most widely used measure of the stock market's health buying on the margin refers to paying a small percentage of a stock's price as a down payment and borrowing the rest speculation this term refers to making extremely risky business transactions on the cance of making quick or considerable profit credit this is an arrangement in which consumers agree to buy now an dpay later for pruchases, often on an installment plan that includes interests charges Hoovervilles name given to shantytowns during the Great Depression shantytown cardboard "villages" where homeless people lived on the outskirts of big cities during the Great Depression Dust Bowl this caused a migration of people, mainly farmers, moving from states like Oklahoma and Arkansas, to the western US stock the term "buying on the margin" refers to a risky way of buying this Herbert Hoover calling their shantytowns "Hoovervilles" people covey

ed their disgust with this man Federal Home Loan Bank Act its main purpose was to prevent farmers and homeowners from losing their property Bonus Army consisted of WWI veterans and their families Glass-Steagall Banking Act this established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), with the greater goal of restoring public confidence in the banking system Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation created by the Federal Securities Act FDIC Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Federal Emergency Relief Administration provided direct relief int he form of food and clothing to the neediest people hit by the Depression--the unemployed, the aged, and the ill Tennessee Valley Authority this helped to create propsperity in a poverty-stricken region by providing funds to build and repair dams, flood-control projects, and power plants Agricultural Adjustment Act this paid farmers to lower production and, in some cases, to destroy crops, with the greater goal of raising crop prices and farm income Civilian Conservation Corps this put almost 3 million young men to work building roads, developing parks, and helping in soil-erosion and flood-control projects Federal Securities Act this required corporations to provide complete information on all stock offerings, withthe greater goal of restoring public confidence in the stock market Emergency Banking Relief Act this authorized the Treasury Department to inspect banks and to close those that were unsound, with the

 greater goal of restoring public confidence in the banking system National Industrial Recovery Act this created an administration that set fair prices on many products and established labor standards, with the greater goal of ensuring fair business practices and promoting industrial growth Richard Wright in his classic novel, "Native Son", he depicts the difficulties faced by a yound man trying to survive in a racist world The Grapes of Wrath this classic novel by John Steinbeck focuses on the difficulties faced by people who, forced off the Great Plains during the Dust Bowl, move to California John Steinbeck wrote "The Grapes of Wrath" Gone with the Wind one of the most popular movies of all time, this sweeping drama about life among Southern plantation owners during the Civil War starred Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable movie stars who appeared in "Gone with the Wind" Orson Welles this actor, director, producer, and writer created one of the most famous radio broadcasts of all time, "The War of the Worlds", and direct the movie classic, "Citizen Kane" Social Security Act this provides for an old-age insurance program Social Security Act this provides for an unemployment compensation program Social Security Act this provides programs that aid needy families with children and the needy disabled National Labor Relations Board created under

 the Wagner Act, this continues to act as a mediator in disputes between unions and employers Securities and Exchange Commission created in 1934, this continues to monitor the stock market and enforce laws regarding the sale of stocks and bonds Tennessee Valley Authority pollution was an unfortunate result of this program to promote flood control and build hydroelectric power plants Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation created through the Glass-Steagall Banking Act, this has shored up the banking system by protecting people's savings against loss in the event of a bank failure Frances Perkins first woman to serve as a cabinet member Eleanor Roosevelt

Question: What was the name given to shantytowns built in the US by the unemployed during the Great Depression?
Answer: HOOVERVILLE